Nat goes into her work at the local pub one day and discovers that her best friend Beth is missing. According to the barmistress Janine, Beth has just decided to move on. But to Nat this makes no sense, especially since she took nothing with her and didn’t tell Nat about her plans. Since Nat is convinced foul play was involved and something awful has happened to Beth, she sets out to prove it and to convince the local police that Beth did not leave of her own accord. While Nat is conducting her own investigation, she puts herself in danger. There are so many characters in this book that are potential suspects that Nat’s chance of success looks dim. My favorite character is a ninety plus man named Victor who is in no small way one of the heroes of the book. This novel starts out rather slowly, and I was not sure what to make of the almost stream of consciousness style, but it was well worth staying with it to the end. The more I read, the more I realized that I didn’t want to quit reading until the surprise conclusion. This is a whodunit with a villain that the reader never sees coming, so it is not only a surprise, it is a shock!

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

 

Available at your favorite bookstore on March 6, 2018

As a young navy wife, Susie made a decision that changed her life forever when she decided to go out and sing with a local band. From that decision comes a new baby, but he is not her husband’s child. Shamed beyond belief, she turns to a local home for mothers who will give their babies up for adoption. And thus begins the sad story of a mother with a happy marriage to Danny, the sailor, with two young girls names Louise and Grace. But after what she did so long ago, Susie can’t forgive herself, nor can she talk to others about what happened because it is such a secret, one she holds close to her and weeps about annually in the attic where she keeps a chest of toys and cards for they young baby she gave away.. This book reminded me so much of when I was in high school and one of the very popular cheerleaders disapppeared for our senior year, banished to live with her aunt because she was preganant. Of course, that does not happen these days because the unwed mothers just continue to attend classes. But at one time, those who got pregnant as Susie did were shamed and ridiculed, so it was easy for me to imagine her difficult dilemma and how she made a choice that was even more difficult to live with for th e rest of her life.
Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Lynette Eason has knocked it out of the park again with a book that features Haley, the red-head with the Irish brogue.  Haley has a big heart and is always trying to help others, like the teen boy and his young brother caught in the middle of a gang war.  She also helps out at the local teen center, giving kids a place to be instead of on the streets.  But who will help Haley when her life is in danger?  And why is she always feeling like someone is watching her, waiting to attack?  This is romantic suspense at its best, so readers of Christian fiction will not want to miss it!

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

This is an uncommon tale of families who live in a neighborhood together and who all have real family secrets that they are keeping from each other, and sometimes even spouses. Essie is married to Ben and her mother Barbara lives next door. Essie has been known to forget that she has young children, but the new baby and Mia cannot be forgotten, so her mom watches over her care-taking. Ange is married to Lucas and they have two sons, Will and Ollie. All seems okay in their house, but Ange suspects that Lucas is stepping out on her again, but she isn’t sure that she wants to know the truth. Fran and Nigel seem to be a perfect couple, but one of their two children may not belong to Nigel. And, finally, there is Isabelle, a single lady who suddenly appeared in the neighborhood and who is watching everyone and trying to discover their secrets. What is her goal? Why is she there? This book is more entertaining than a soap opera and more dramatic, too! Lots of secrets that push the characters headlong into a multi-faceted surprise ending. Reading this book reminded me of reading “Peyton Place” many years ago, but this one is much better written and rated for all readers who enjoy finding out facts about new characters and cheering for the good guys to win!

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Caroline Shipley went to Mexico to celebrate her tenth anniversary with her husband Hunter and their two children, Michelle who was a precocious toddler and the baby Samantha, about a year old. Her husband even surprised her by having their friends and her brother join them to celebrate. So, everything seems perfect until their babysitter cancels and Caroline and Hunter can’t attend their own anniversary dinner. Caroline wants to skip the dinner, but Hunter is insistent that they will just be downstairs and will check on the girls every half hour. Reluctantly, Caroline gives in, but to her horror, when she goes up to check, baby Samantha is missing. Thus begins the real drama of the book. Caroline refuses to give up hope that she will find her missing daughter. When the current story begins, it is fifteen years later, the reporters are covering the story again, and Caroline is still seeking answers. The denouement of the story is unbelievable but so realistically portrayed that it is almost as if the reader is there, with Caroline and holding her hand, walking with her through the unimaginable tale of what really happened to Samantha. Joy Fielding will not disappoint with her gripping story of a mother’s love that won’t give up hope.

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Dr. Iris Ballard is a former FBI agent who is dragging herself up from substance abuse after her last case went very bad. She has been summoned to her hometown by her mother when her twin brother Billy has apparently disappeared into the clutches of a local new cult. Iris is very good at thinking up plans to help others, but she is not always so great at executing them, especially as a lone wolf. So she calls on her FBI agent Luke to come help her. Together, they tackle the evil that is Mathias and his sidekick Ken, the enforcer. They are using the members who have joined the cult as drug mules and are running a very profitable empire, so they are going to do whatever they need to do to make sure that Iris and Luke don’t topple it. The novel races to a fiery and explosive conclusion that the reader will not see coming, but it is a conclusion that is realistic as well as satisfying, in some ways. This is a great book that it’s part of a series. Now, I need to go back and read the first one, BEAUTIFUL MAIDS ALL IN A ROW, because I want to read more about Dr. Iris Ballard. She is a fascinating character with multiple layers, so I would love to see even more books that feature her!

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Honestly, this is not the kind of book that I normally read because the narrator keeps switching between two women, one from the early 1900’s and one in present day times. However, the way the author threads their stories together is fascinating, so this is on my “you have to read this book” list! Kaine is fleeing California where her husband was murdered (although no one will believe her) and is settling into the home of her great-grandmother Ivy. The story of Ivy is woven through the story of Kaine, with the chapters in the book taking turns between the two. Ivy lost her brother at a very young age and has never really moved on from that tragedy. She keeps a “death book” of those that die so that they will be remembered. That task is easy enough until a young woman’s body is discovered at a house on Foster Hill, stuck into a tree trunk. She is unidentified, but Ivy names her Gabriella and is determined to find out what happened to her and to her baby, because she had given birth shortly before she was killed. Ivy risks her life to find out the truth. Now, Kaine is trying to find out the truth about her family heritage, a story that is interwoven with Ivy’s and thus also fraught with danger. The story is so well-written that the reader is enticed to keep reading to find out what happens to these two women and why is the house on Foster Hill a place of secrets and death.

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Kristin and her twins disappear overnight from a safe, middle-class neighborhood. Someone may know what happened to her, but no one is talking. Paul, her OB-GYN husband, is immediately suspected for foul play, but he insists that they were gone when he arrived at the house. Hallie, the precocious teen who wants to write a neighborhood newspaper, may know more than she thinks, but no one will listen to her. Izzy, the radio show producer who lives across the street, is dealing with a broken heart and resentment against her sister, and she doesn’t know what to think. The one whom everyone says knew Kristin best, Clara the next-door neighbor, says she knows nothing and the last time she saw her was at the fire pit the night before. So, what happened to Kristin? There are a lot of twists and turns before the reader finds out, but this book is definitely worth the time to read it! It is thought-provoking with a touch of cynicism that will make you wonder if your priorities are in order.

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

This book is available for pre-order at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  It will be published on March 27, 2018.  

Karen Moore has written a book of prayers that will add to your daily time with God. Each prayer has a scripture with it and then reads like a prayer journal. It encourages the reader to spend more time with God and to keep your own prayer journal. The details in the journal are very heart-touching and lend themselves to further thought and study of the Scriptures. There is humor as well as honesty throughout this book of prayers, so that the reader is involved in the life of the author and compares oneself and one’s own life to hers. All in all, this book lends itself to having all of us take an honest look at our prayer life and our relationship with God.
Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

IMPERFECT JUSTICE is one of those books that captures your attention and holds it to the breath-taking conclusion. Kaylene has sought the help of the Haven and its resident attorney Emilie Wesley. She is ready to leave her abusive spouse when the unthinkable happens. Emilie is thrown into a whirlpool of deceit and control by the abusive spouse and enlists the help of Kaylene’s brother to try to save a nine-year-old innocent little girl from the situation that led to her mother’s death. Emilie is also being stalked, but she has no idea who is putting her life in danger daily, even as she strives to save the life of other abused women. The best part of the book is that it is made for discussion with a book group since it includes discussion questions at the end. This is a thought-provoking and heartbreaking book, with the underlying theme of “What would you do?”

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”